A first look at ‘Little Village’ arts hub in Detroit’s East Village neighborhood

By Layla McMurtrie on Wed, Apr 10, 2024 at 1:28 pm

Detroit’s East Village neighborhood is undergoing a transformation with the implementation of “Little Village” — a hub of arts and culture featuring a variety of projects. Library Street Collective co-founders and partners Anthony and JJ Curis have been announcing plans for the area over the past few years, and parts of it are finally ready to open.

On Monday, we got a tour of the numerous facilities included in Little Village including the Shepherd and LANTERN, among many others. We heard from the Curises and renowned architects about how each piece of the puzzle was designed and came together.

The plans are big and there’s a lot to know, so here’s a breakdown of some of the most important pieces of Little Village and a sneak peek at the interior and exterior of some of the facilities before opening day.

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Jason Keen

The Shepherd

Previously the Good Shepherd church, which was built in 1912 and closed in 2016, the Shepherd will serve as the anchor of Little Village, reimagining how a religious space can be utilized. The cultural arts center will host a grand opening on May 18 from 5-8 p.m., with performances by the Detroit-Windsor Dance Academy, Urban Arts Orchestra, and Dames Brown. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited, so registration is required on Eventbrite.

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Jason Keen

ALEO Detroit

Inside The Shepherd’s former rectory is a bed and breakfast coined ALEO, offering a beautiful interior covered in work by local artists. The six guest suites are meant for artists visiting Detroit from out of town who want to be at the center of the city’s creative community.

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Jason Keen

McArthur Binion Foundation

ALEO’s third floor serves as the headquarters for the nonprofit organization Modern Ancient Brown, which provides residencies, mentorship, and resources to local BIPOC artists and writers. One artist resident a year will have a full private apartment in ALEO to live and work at during their time in the program.

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Jason Keen

Little Village Library

On the other side of the building, in the former church’s beautiful main space, there will be a library curated by Asmaa Walton of Black Arts Library. Available books will include artist monographs, exhibition catalogs, and research materials focused on artists of color who have made contributions to the arts in Michigan. The area includes tables and chairs to sit and read at with a group, as well as former confessionals turned personal workspaces. In the near future, Black Arts Library has plans to also open a standalone community bookstore in the East Village neighborhood, which will be its first-ever brick-and-mortar.

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Jason Keen

Art & Music in the former church’s nave

Apart from the Little Village library, the central nave and adjacent transept of the space feature two gallery spaces that will display rotating artworks. Each entrance/exit of the galleries serves as its own sort of frame to view the intricate architecture in the building. Additionally, the church’s former altar will serve as a stage for big events, with seating at the lower level, as well as above the main gallery.

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Jason Keen

Charles McGee Legacy Park

The theme of the Shepherd’s grand opening will be “Charles McGee: Time Is Now,” honoring the late Detroit artist, in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Arts Detroit. Outside of the building is a Charles McGee Legacy Park, which features sculptures inspired by McGee’s work. Inside the Shepherd’s gallery spaces is the work that the sculptures were based on, which will be displayed for the grand opening and throughout the following month.

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Jason Keen

‘It Takes A Village’ Skate Park

Beside The Shepherd and the sculpture park is a skate park designed by Tony Hawk and McArthur Binion. It was one of the first completed installations of Little Village, so it is the piece that has gotten the most use so far.

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Jason Keen

BridgeHouse

Directly across from the Shepherd are two former residential homes that have been transformed into commercial spaces centered around the culinary arts. One will be home to a new location of Warda Patisserie, run by James Beard award-winning chef Warda Bouguettaya. She says that this location will serve as a pastry hub and a place where she hopes to host culinary classes for the local community. The other BridgeHouse space will be a restaurant, but it is yet to be announced what eatery it will house.

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Jason Keen

Father Forgive Me cocktail bar

Attached to the Shepherd, right across from BridgeHouse, a new cocktail bar will eventually open dubbed “Father Forgive Me.” Between the two structures used to be an alleyway, but the space is now covered in multicolor evenly-leveled gravel to make all food and drink spots walkable and accessible. Beside the spaces is a small green space that will serve as a stage and seating for entertainment events, with benches carved from local white oak trees.

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Jason Keen

Louis BUHL & Co.

On the adjacent corner behind the Shepherd and BridgeHouse, a currently disheveled building will become the new headquarters for the contemporary art gallery and project space Louis Buhl & Co. Uniquely to its sister gallery Library Street Collective, Louis Buhl & Co. focuses more on special projects with artists, such as first-hand involvement in the printing process.

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Courtesy photo

A rendering of the plans for Louis & Buhl Co.

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Facebook, I.M. Weiss Gallery

IM Weiss Gallery

In conjunction with Little Village, some artists have moved into the neighborhood including Toronto designer Brian Richer of Castor Design and Isabelle Weiss, among others. Weiss is opening a gallery inside of her home as a way to showcase the art of houseware in a domestic setting. There will be an opening event on Saturday, April 13 from 12-6 p.m. Additionally, Romeo Okwara, a 28-year-old who just retired from the NFL to focus on art, is planning a three-story artist resource hub structure in the same area that is currently under construction.

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Rendering by OMA and Luxigon

LANTERN

Down the street from the Shepherd at the corner of Kercheval and McClellan is another mixed-use arts facility dubbed “LANTERN,” which was formerly home to Bluebird Bakery. The space’s name comes from the over 1,300 circular glass windows covering the walls of the building, allowing light to come in from all angles. Throughout this year, a bar, a cafe, and a boutique will open in the space. All are brought together through an outdoor courtyard and event space. The building consists of three connected structures, the other two which will belong to two local arts nonprofits.

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Layla McMurtrie

Signal Return

Letterpress nonprofit Signal Return has found a home in the center structure of the three buildings, which is already open to the public. Signal Return focuses on preserving and teaching traditional letterpress printing to Detroiters. The new location provides opportunities for further programming such as hands-on workshops, exhibitions, educational partnerships, and the sale of prints and gifts focused on Detroit’s artistic community.

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Rendering by OMA and Luxigon

Progressive Arts Studio Collective (PASC)

Next door to Signal Return, PASC will open a new headquarters providing studio space, workshops, and a gallery to showcase the work of artists participating in the program. PASC, a program under the disability services organization STEP, is the first art studio and exhibition program dedicated to supporting adults with developmental disabilities in Wayne County. The opening for the PASC gallery is currently set for May 9.

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Instagram, @tyrrellwinston

Artist residencies

The upstairs of LANTERN offers three artist studios for local artist residencies. One local artist, Davariz Broaden, just moved in this past week as part of the new Detroit Tyrrell Winston (DTW) Arts Scholarship. The program, started by renowned artist Winston, offers year-long studio space, monthly material stipends, and mentorship to one fellow annually.

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Rendering by OMA and Luxigon

And more is coming soon…

More specifics on a lot of these Little Village projects, plus even more initiatives and big plans for the area, will be announced in the coming months and years.

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